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January 23 - 27, 2006
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Monday, Jan. 23, 2006 |
Ford workers wait for announcement
The Ford Motor Company is expected to announce details of a major restructuring plan later this morning. Analysts say the Twin Cities assembly plant in St. Paul is one of several that the company could close, but it's unclear whether today's announcement will include a specific list of closing plants. Sales of the pick-up truck made in St. Paul have been declining. The plant employs about 2000 people. David Cole is an auto analyst at the University of Michigan. He joins us now.
Abortion opponents rally at Capitol
Rallies took place all over the country on Sunday to mark the 33rd anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade court decision legalizing abortion. In Minnesota, the state's leading group opposing abortion convened at the Capitol for what it called its biggest rally ever. Abortion rights supporters held their own, separate events later in the evening, including concerts called "Rock for Roe." But the gathering at the Capitol was a show of political force for abortion opponents, and it provided a snapshot of their political ascendancy in the state right now. Minnesota Public Radio's Annie Baxter has more.
Public policy expert joins governor's race
Peter Hutchinson will officially enter the governor's race this week. The former Minneapolis schools superintendent and former state finance commissioner will run as an Independence Party candidate. Hutchinson said he'll bring fresh ideas to the governor's office. But his biggest challenge may be that most Minnesotans don't know who he is. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
U of M researcher says ataxia ran in Abraham Lincoln's family
A researcher at the University of Minnesota who studies the crippling neurological disease ataxia has discovered that the disease runs in the family of Abraham Lincoln and could have afflicted the former President. Professor Laura Ranum, who published her discovery in the journal Nature Genetics, joins us now by phone.
Prescription for change
In a series of reports all this week, we will be exploring a concept called consumer-driven health care. The concept is based on the idea that if people have more control over their health care options, they can bring down costs by making better choices. This is just the latest in a series of attempts that have been made over the years to reform how health care is delivered and paid for in this country. Florida State University professor Jill Quadagno has studied how our health care system has evolved over the last 100 years. In particular she has looked at why efforts to create any kind of universal health care coverage have failed. She is the author of "One Nation Uninsured: Why the U.S. Has No National Health Insurance." She joins me now.
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Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006 |
St. Paul's Ford plant spared -- at least for now
The Ford plant in St. Paul will remain open, at least for now. The Ford Motor Company Monday named five U.S. manufacturing plants it plans to close in the next two years. St. Paul's Ford Ranger plant, which employs nearly 2,000 workers, was not on the list. While employees expressed relief, they're not out of the woods yet. Ford plans to close another four auto assembly plants as part of a major restructuring effort. Two of them will be named later this year. Many experts consider the St. Paul plant a likely target. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen has more.
St. John's remembers Sen. Eugene McCarthy
St. John's University in Collegeville is remembering the late Sen. Eugene McCarthy. McCarthy, who died in December of 2005, graduated from St. John's University in 1935 and taught there in the 1940s, before moving on to a career in politics. McCarthy's friends and family say they knew the man as a student, teacher, poet and statesman. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Post reports.
Minnesotans learn the language of health care
Like it or not, you might find yourself becoming increasingly fluent in a new language. Over the past few years, words like co-insurance and health reimbursement accounts have probably been creeping into your vocabulary. You're beginning to speak the language of consumer driven health care, a phrase whose meaning is still fairly amorphous. Some say consumer driven health care is a new way of managing medical care that puts consumers in the driver's seat. Others say it's a clever way of disguising how health care costs are slowly shifting from companies to their employees. How are Minnesotans experiencing this phenomenon? Minnesota Public Radio's Annie Baxter reports.
Finding middle ground
Northeastern Minnesota is a playground for a lot of people. Some like to canoe and hike and ski; some like to ride snowmobiles and all terrain vehicles. Sometimes those groups are like oil and water. As each side tries to promote its interests, people on the other often see the effort as a threat to what they like to do. The various governments that are responsible for the land are trying to find some middle ground between the two groups. Meetings on the North Shore this week will allow public input on the issue. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
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Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006 |
Health Savings Accounts get the business
Companies like consumer-driven health care because it can reduce their health insurance bill. Workers are less certain. Some are wary of the approach. Consumer plans combine high deductible insurance with an employee-controlled Health Savings Account. Unions in particular say the approach is flawed. As part of our series "Prescription for Change," Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Steil reports on the search for a cure to ever higher insurance bills.
Wisconsin newspaper allows readers to pick front-page story
We turn our attention next to the newspaper business. Readership is declining and papers across the country are trying to adjust to the changing media landscape. Wisconsin's second largest newspaper, the Wisconsin State Journal, has a novel idea: Allow readers to help decide what ends up on the front page. Visitors to the Wisconsin State Journal's website now have the opportunity to select which of five potential stories they think should be on the next day's front page. Don Brazeal is a journalism professor at the University of Minnesota, and he says the idea is intriguing, but not very effective.
Arguing over a new university campus for Rochester
Does Rochester need a new four-year university? Advocates for the proposal say it will bring in high-tech faculty and create bioscience jobs for the region. Opponents say it's a political ploy in an election year aimed at getting votes. Later this morning the Rochester Higher Education Development Committee releases its evaluation of Rochester's higher education needs. Minnesota Public Radio's Sea Stachura reports.
Johnson-and-Johnson doesn't up bid for Guidant
A key deadline has passed, and Johnson-and-Johnson has not increased its bid to buy the medical device company Guidant. Guidant's cardiac rhythm management business is based in Arden Hills. Johnson-and-Johnson has been in a bidding war with Boston Scientific. Both companies want to acquire Guidant, which is the second-largest firm in the rapidly growing market for implantable devices that correct heart rhythm problems. Thom Gunderson is an analyst with Piper Jaffray. He joins us now.
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Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006 |
The return of Ellen Foster
It's been 20 years since author Kaye Gibbons burst onto the literary scene with her novel about a resilient, determined little girl named Ellen Foster. One reviewer wrote that Ellen instantly became one of the great child characters in American literature. Now Gibbons has written a sequel to that novel, called "The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster." It's the latest selection of the Talking Volumes book club, sponsored by MPR, The Loft Literary Center and the Star Tribune. Some critics say the authenticity that was so convincing the first time around is missing in Gibbons' new book. Minnesota Public Radio's Kerri Miller reports.
A chronic problem
Consumer-driven health care is becoming more and more popular among employers. But does it work for people who have chronic illnesses and have no choice about whether to get medical care? Some of these plans work better than others. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
Minnesota races for governor, U.S. Senate taking shape
Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Peter Hutchinson says social issues like abortion will not be the focus of his campaign. Hutchinson officially launched his Independence Party candidacy this week. Meanwhile, DFLer Patty Wetterling dropped out of the race for the U.S. Senate. Joining me now to sort out where things stand on the campaign trail is Minnesota Public Radio Political Editor Mike Mulcahy.
World marks 100th anniversary of playwright Henrik Ibsen's death
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Hundreds of events will be held around the world in the next few months to commemorate Ibsen, including a performance of his "Peer Gynt" next to the Pyramids outside Cairo. Ibsen's works are still popular among performers and theatre-goers worldwide. His 26 plays include "A Doll's House", "Ghosts", and "An Enemy of the People." He was also a respected poet. Dominic Papatola is Minnesota Public Radio arts commentator and St. Paul Pioneer Press theater critic. He's come by today to tell us more about Henrik Ibsen.
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Friday, Jan. 27, 2006 |
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